ARDIRI

What a Wonderful Weekend!

I had a wonderful, fantabulous, sick-free weekend and damn it feels good to be healthy again!

Friday:
I spent the day finishing up a duvet that I started a couple of months ago.  Go sewing machine, go!
(And, yes, I really should have ironed it before photographing, but I was ready to put it on my down comforter).  The top side is the white and black floral print:

Friday evening I spent with my friend, Amber, whom also happens to be my coworker at the tutoring center.  About once every three months--more or less--we go to get a margarita (or two) at La Fogata (which is a Mexican restaurant, even if it really sounds quite Italian) in downtown Walnut Creek.  They make the absolute-yummiest raspberry margaritas.  They also have a bean dip that is like crack (not that I actually know what crack is like; I'm just trying to state that it is utterly addictive!).  Here's  a pic of Amber and I (one of those where you hold the camera at arm's length and take a pic of yourselves):

Saturday:
Fun, fun,  and more fun in Bezerkeley with Elaine of Kim-Chi Crafts.  First stop: A cafe for lunch--of which I cannot remember the name.  I had a yummy veggie burger, highly-disappointing Pimentin Fries, and an Affogato (espresso with vanilla gelato--delish!).  Much intriguing and stimulating conversation with Ms. Elaine and getting to know each other. 

Then we were off to Article Pract which has now become my favorite brick-and-mortar knitting store.  Whoever is ordering yarn for that store has a great eye for color and variety in yarns.  Yummy!  I exchanged some yarn that I had bought too much of for some Berrocco Super Alpaca to make the Knitting Nature Sunflower Tam.  I also bought some yarn to fix some holes in my scarf that Hila of HPNY Knits made for me during the International Scarf Exchange.  Unfortunately Mamoko has a yarn-eating habit and he decided that that scarf was extra tasty.  I suppose I should be happy that his bad habit is eating yarn (which I can keep out of his reach) and NOT peeing outside the litter box (which was Cyrano's bad habit).  I drooled and drooled over all the Koigu, all the bamboo yarns, and all the shiny silk yarns, and basically ALL the YARNS!  By gods and goddesses, I LOVE that store.  Dangerous territory!

We made a quick stop for snacks in Bakesale Betty's--Elaine bought chocolate chip cookies (and gave me one--YUM!) and I picked up some sugar-encrusted banana bread (I heart sugar!).

Elaine whisked me away to her awesome apartment that is really a third of this amazing, gorgeous, super-fantastic house from the 1800's.  Amazing woodwork left and right, tall doors, stained glass windows, high ceilings, and fantastic-fantastic-ness all around!  When she wasn't looking I hugged a pillar in her dining room near her desk area because I was just so overwhelmed by the beauty of her apartment's design.  Utterly and completely jealous I am.  Here is a pic that contains one of the pillars I hugged.  When I think of this desk setup, I can imagine myself being a productive thesis writer.  I mean, how could one not be inspired by such a beautiful desk area?:

Here's Elaine with her Hippy the Hippo and Kooly the Koala container and new knitting pattern book knitting away:

Elaine happens to rock and is exceptional company.  I am so glad that we have become beyond-the-blogosphere friends.  The time we spent together on Saturday just flew by; yay, happy-time new friend! 

Elaine also happens to love spoiling people.  I got some "party favors" that she found at a Japanese dollar store.  She insisted--upon seeing my lovely ziploc project bags--that I chose one of two cute bags for my knitting.  I chose this one:

She also insisted--and I eagerly complied--that I take home some stationary, too:

Serious spoilage!  Luckily I also came prepared with a load of Kool-Aid Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade packets for her since she is soon to be teaching a class on Kool-Aid dyeing at Knit-One-One.

After spending the day with Elaine, John met me in Berkeley so we could go get ice cream at FENTONS!  Here is a pic of John looking rather devilish with the Fudgeanna we shared:

We got two scoops instead of our usual sharing of one since it had been such a long time since our last visit (as well as to celebrate John's getting into UCSF Pharmacy School).  We ordered our all-time favorite, Cream Caramel Almond Crunch, and tried a new flavor (for us), Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch.  Both were divinely delicious!

Sunday:
I just went running and spent the rest of the day trying to figure out the right needle size to make the damn Sunflower Tam fit my head (size 8 needles made a tam waaaaay too big, so now I am being brave--or perhaps reckless--and switching down to size 6 needles).  Pictures will come when some actual non-ripped back/non-frogged process is made.  Oh, and I tore the embroidery off a hat I got for free at school--it used to say "GO GIRL" to advertise the Tab-wanna-be Go Girl Drink.  I have committed to wearing a cap (in addition to La Roche-Posay Anthelios Lait 45 sunscreen with Mexoryl--which I used to have to order from Canada, but is now available in the US and I've got a discount connection!) while running to prevent getting more humongous patches of freckles on my forehead near my hairline.  I replaced the embroidery with this cute patch because sometimes I feel like I run as slow as Eyeore would, while other times I am such a grump about getting my ass out the door to run):

The Slrog

• April 4th, Wednesday--37:56 minutes running, 4 miles total, averaged 9:39 minute miles (which is damn good if I might say so myself after just having gone through two major illnesses--a sinus infection and super-duper-painful viral laryngitis--and not having really run regularly since...uh? Hmmm?  Forget it, I haven't ran very regularly for a while because I have been struck left and right by hellish winter-seasonal sicknesses!  Seriously need to consider signing up for Run-a-go-go for inspiration.)

Retail Therapy--What I wish for:

1. A new MP3 player, or a magical fix that would make my current MP3 player actually communicate with my computer so I could download different music (different than the same 4 or so albums that I have had on this MP3 player for almost 4 years now).
2. My own personal taser, like this one, which will be especially important when I move to San Francisco and start running in Golden Gate Park.  (I was inspired by Veronica Mars to get a taser.)

I think I'll buy one tomorrow...

• I never put off till tomorrow what I can do the day after. (Supposedly said by Oscar Wilde, but perhaps really by Mark Twain.)

• It's back!  Threadless T-Shirts' Procrastinator T-shirt:

I exited the Matrix of Bloglandia (and lived to tell the tale)!

(Above yarn: On needles-Alchemy Bamboo in "Forest Waltz" and the other is Hempathy in color 10)

A bit late, but at last I shall do a small recounting of the wonderful day (Sunday, January 27th) I spent with Elaine of Kim-Chi Crafts.  This was our first meeting outside of the world of blogs, swaps, email, and some snail mail holiday cards.

My love-dove, John--silly-rabbit he is--warned me that Elaine may perhaps not be a knitter, but a 300+ pound man posing as a knitter to meet women.  I took this with an invisible grain of salt; as in, I laughed in his face and told him I knew Elaine was real and that I had indeed seen a picture of her fiance, her dog, and herself that was included in a Christmas card.  "Ah!" he replied, "What a great way to fool you.  Excellent ruse!"  I laughed heartily and proceeded with my plans to meet her in Berkeley.  AND, by gods, Elaine is Elaine, and she is not a 300+ lb. man with bad intentions, but a very pretty young lady who is superbly nice, has excellent taste in yarn shops and is a superb button maker to boot (See all those Cyrano's Creature Comfort Drive Buttons to the right--proof of her rockin' skills)!

We hit Article Pract, her LYS, and I had no intention to buy yarn.  I had specifically gone to one of my nearer yarn stores, Fashion-Knit in Walnut Creek, to fondle yarn just a few days before in hopes of getting that "wanting feeling" out of my system.  But to no avail!  Fashion-Knit has nothing on the warm ambience and great presentation of yarns of Article Pract.  I gave in.  I came, I fondled yarn, and I left the store with yarn, a few needed circular needles, and a cute Article Pract Bag.  Dangerous Territory, indeed, it is, this Article Pract!!!  I also bought a couple of skeins of Malabrigo Worsted wool in Forest (each skein has 216 yards and knits up on a size 7-9 needle AND costs only $12!!!) which I intend to return for store credit till I can find a sweater that I want to make with this yarn as it is soooo soft and beautiful and two skeins will not a sweater make!

This was followed by a trip to the bookstore Book Zoo, a quick jaunt to a pet store to see if they had Mamoko's special I-am-a-cat-&-I-have-IBS-CatFood.  Wrong store and they didn't have it, so I settled on some kitty toys instead.

We then went to Rockridge and ended up at Cactus Taqueria because I was needing some food--"savory food" as Elaine called it, not sweet food.  I was surprised by the tastiness of the Mexican food since I am not a big fan of Mexican food and usually eat it as fast food (a big plate of whole beans, a small cheese quesidilla, a can of Pepsi, and some salsa & chips--which can be had at my local Taqueria for $4.10 and I still have enough beans and chips to have dinner or breakfast the next day!)  Anyhoo, Cactus Taqueria has awesome salsas, especially the pineapple--yes, pineapple one. 

After eating we sat in the taqueria and talked and knitted away.  Odd location for knitting, but we made it work nonetheless.

Next time we meet we plan to hit up her local fabric store--StoneMountain & Daughter Fabric--where I intend to get me some of that adorable gnome fabric.

For Elaine's version of the day click here!

Random Ramblings of a Sinusitis Sufferer (and Knitter)

Here are the random ramblings of a student presenting with major Sinusitus symptoms and who cannot sleep because she just downed an Excedrin (which has caffeine):

• The Troll Family that resides inside my head and that occasionally have violent Mama and Papa Troll arguments (i.e. Migraines) have decided to give birth to at least four lovely baby trolls.  Mama Troll has decided that the Maxillary and Frontal Sinus Cavities make perfect wombs for her Baby Trolls and those trolls are growing at a lovely and painful rate.  Sinus irrigation, psuedophedrine, advil, and excedrine,  have not induced the birthing of these monstrous little baby trolls.  Stat!  Must consider seeing a doctor!  Must also consider watching less of Grey's Anatomy--way too addictive and distracting for a grad student who should be studying every waking moment and also causes said student to start somewhat talking as if she is a doctor. (BTW--I am in mid-season of season 2 and yet to see any knitting.  When does the knitting occur?  When do I get to put up a button that says "I knit with Greys"?)  In summarization--in the end, or rather, right now--bloody hell, just make this pain go away!


• You MUST SEE Children of Men.  I am going to put myself on the line and say that this is probably the best movie I've seen during the years of 2006 and 2007 (thus far).  Only Little Miss Sunshine comes close.  However, it could also be said that they are of a similar rating as they are definitely of different genres--one a Dystopic Tale and the other a Tale of Hilariously Dysfunctional Family.  Children of Men had moments of the oddness  similar to anime movie creator's Miyazaki's magic (Director of My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Monoke, and Howl's Moving Castle)--simple moments such as a deer running through an empty schoolhouse, among many others.  Mind you, I am not a big fan of anime, but Miyazaki is literally a magical-world-maker and his movies generally run thematically along pro-environmentalism, pro-feminist characters, political awareness, and are anti-war.  Children of Men was directed by Alfonso Cuaron who also did Y Tu Mama Tambien and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  No matter what you thought of those two movies, you must see Children of Men as it is near perfect.

• About a week and a half ago, I finished The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell.  Wow!  Did not expect myself to become so engrossed in a book about Jesuit priests visiting a planet inhabited by two odd, completely sentient species.  Deals with some major philosophical issues like the existence of god--i.e how to justify a belief in a god if s/he allows for such cruelty in the universe; yet, at the same time how to not justify a belief in a god because otherwise one must--or rather a faithful Jesuit Priest--must take/make a painful reverse Kierkegaardien Leap of Faith,  Anyways, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the requested transfer through my local library system of the second book, Children of God.  Nevertheless, I am also aware that there is a good possibility that the sequel will most likely disappoint.  I am so hoping not, as I really loved The Sparrow.

• In a similar vein, disappointing news: school has started and I have lost that "loving feeling" for devouring fiction.  I am going to have to shelve--till summer break (or maybe, if I am lucky, spring break)--all the lovely recommendations you wonderful readers have suggested.  Bah humbug!

• John, the love-dove, and I spent the evening last night watching the first two episodes of mini-series Tinker, Tailor, Sailor, Soldier (1979 BBC Production based on a Le Carre novel) and drinking a very indulgent  2002 Sauternes wine (Medaille D'Or Paris 2004 made by Chateau Haut-Bergeron) which we luckily got for an almost-reasonable price at Costco.  The wine was absolutely de-lish and the mini-series looks as if it has great potential.  However, it moves at a slow pace and you are simply thrown pretty much blindly into the middle of a spy house scandal wherein you must piece together the essential information as to what the hell is going on.

• And today, I will finally meet a local bloglandia friend, Elaine of Kim-Chi Crafts for a trip to her LYS,  Article Pract, and most likely coffee, knitting, and getting to know each other outside of the virtual world of the internet.  I am hoping to convince her to go and get Ethiopian/Eritrean food as there are multiple restaurants in the Berkeley/Oakland area serving such food.  And, by gods, I am a fool for Ethiopian food, but most people I know (such as the love-dove John) are repulsed by it.  They say the bread--injera-- reminds them too much of human skin.  As if!

Procrastinators: Leaders of Tomorrow

I am procrastinating -- I should be writing for school, but instead I am writing about THE shirt for procrastinators:

Unfortunately I heard about this cute and too true shirt too late to buy it.  Which is where you, my dear readers, come in--vote for the reprinting of this t-shirt over at threadless.com.  Please don't procrastinate!

I bought some yarn!

Oooh, I so can't wait to get this in the mail:

I watched and waited until I had the money to get it.  Hoping with each look at Noelle's (of HedgeBlog) etsy shop that no one would beat me to the punch!  Gorgeous colors and they are all mine!

Added on September 17:  I'll most likely make a scarf--letting the yarn's "voice" lead me in the right direction as to what it "wishes" to become.  Boy-oh-boy, that sounds so hippy-dippy.

The Slrog

• September 15, Friday--37:25 running, woo-hoo.

Today, I will take a walk on the dark side and buy myself a pair of Nikes (the ONLY brand of shoes that do not cause serious bodily problems for my body as not only do I have high arches but a loose, right hip joint; and yes, I've tried New Balance and a gazillion other brands).  I know, Nikes are evil--but we each make choices about how we live our lives.  I have chosen to not have a car since 1999 and instead use public transportation, my feet, and my bicycle.  I try to eat organic--when I can afford it--and buy locally from the farmers' market (see/read The Omnivore's Dilemma).  Life is all about choices--take a look at the tags on your clothes, then think about where the fabric is fabricated.  What about where the actual cotton, hemp, polyester, wool, etc., come from...Who farms/raises/chemicalizes these fabrics?  Who weaves them?   It is easy to point fingers--but, like the old saying says--when you point one finger at someone, at least three fingers are pointing back at yourself.   So, with this in mind--and a metaphorical Darth Vader cape and mask donned--I shall head to the shoe store to outfit myself with a pair of Nikes to match my "evil" personna.  Mwhahahaha!

Book Lust

I WANT this book so bad!

So, so, so many excellent, wondermous patterns inside (although, I have to admit I am not fond of the pillows on the cover!).

This book is also AMAZING:

The Art of Knitting: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces
By Francoise Tellier-Loumagne

This book has a few cute design ideas--but not enough to warrant the purchase:

The Slrog

• September 4, Monday--26:06 minutes running non-stop.

Need new shoes, or rather I need some real, or at least contemporary, running shoes since I've been wearing my Saucony Jazz to run.  Granted Saucony Jazz are running shoes and they are pretty groovy-looking, but they were designed back in the  early 1980's and shoe technology has clearly improved.  So I'll soon be in the market for some--GASP!--Nikes.  Yes, indeed, there is a special place in hell for me since I am supporting (and have supported) the evil-incarnate company Nike.  But they have the only shoes that fit my super high arches and skinny feet and, believe you me, I have tried all sorts of brands on and know what fits.  I also know I tend to have problems with plantar fasciitis and other arch-related issues and that Nikes help to prevent these injuries.